Violence In Brian K. Vaughan's Saga

A lot of people disagree that children should not be prosecutions because they are not responsible for their actions and the only reason they are including young people is because they know that they would not be blamed but the kids are. Prosecution only happen after the war has ended so those who recruit child soldiers will not take this into consideration. Basically it’s saying prosecution only happens when a war it’s finish or about to start. So there’s no reason why the children should be blamed for their actions. Child soldiers often victims of the war

First, children are recruited into government armies or any private organization because they are acquiescent to people who tend to be older than them.

What are child soldiers? Child soldiers are people under eighteen who partake in either a regular or irregular armed group in any way. According to Warchild there are an estimated 250,000 child soldiers in the world and often as a part of their recruitment they are forced to either kill or maim a loved one so that they cannot go back home. In Ishmael Beah’s novel A Long Way Gone (Memoirs of a Boy Soldier) the author recounts his life as a child soldier fighting on the government side in Sierra Leone from age thirteen to sixteen. This paper will be attempting to answer the questions of why certain armed groups use children, why it is wrong to do so, and how people are taking a stand to stop it.

Visualize men with guns breaking down your door and pointing them at your family. Now imagine these men taking your children, forcing them to serve in their military force. In only an instant, your children are gone and you are left with no knowledge of the fate of your kids. As terrifying and seemingly impossible as this imagined scenario may be, it is a stark reality for many families in third world countries. Where families fear not if their children will be taken but when those doors will be broken down, and their screaming children will be dragged out through the front door. The parents know that they cannot not stop these men even if they attempt to. Yet, in an unreasonable twist becoming a child soldier is not only a gamble with the reaper, but it is also a chance to survive. Enough food to survive is more or less guaranteed, while back at home the odds of surviving are insurmountably against them. Becoming a child soldier is a double edged sword that is neither ally nor enemy to the children. These children are abused and coerced into staying with the men who ripped them from their families. Those that attempt to escape or resist are torn down brutally in order to be rebuilt, while those that embrace it sacrifice their humanity and risk the onset of psychologically damaging PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Militias and rebel forces, strained on man power, turn to child soldiers as a cheap and readily available replacement source. Trained to become war hardened

Since they are forced to leave their homes, kids miss out on getting an education, spending time with family, making friends, and enjoying peaceful, carefree lives. Being recruited into war changes their childhood forever. They live in fear of getting killed or harmed, and have to murder other people themselves. If they don’t, they risk getting shot or abused by commanders. An article on hrw.org (2004) states that many children are “victims of killings, rape and sexual assault, abduction, torture, forced labor and displacement at the hands of the warring factions.” This reveals that when children are forced into war, they no longer get to enjoy the fun and simple childhood everyone deserves. Rather, they must live up to adult responsibilities and perform abhorrent crimes. In addition, these children are often given many drugs to make them more inclined to kill. An article on vision.org (2008) talks about a child soldier rehabilitation camp director that has reported that kids “would do just about anything that was ordered” while on drugs. The use of drugs in young people dangerously affects their overall health and alters their minds substantially. Also, Child Soldiers International notes that child soldiers “run a high risk of being killed or maimed.” This clearly describes the health and future of these children as they are forced into war. As can be seen, recruiting kids into war negatively affects their physical state and their

For children who eventually leave these militias and rebel groups, rehabilitation and reintegration into their homes or a new life may be extremely difficult. The kids may be rejected as being former child soldier, be resented and abandoned by community and family for that they had been forced to do, and even be subject to trial by their community or other groups. The children were taken at a young age and most do not have any valuable job skills, and may turn to the streets for money and to continue their drug addiction. Consistent aid and support is a necessity for these kids to return to normalcy. This includes group, community, and family support and letting the child know that they are loved and forgiven. (Drexler 3). Ishmael states in

One injustice facing the world today is the use of child soldiers. According to child-soldiers.org, a child soldier is “any person below eighteen years of age who is, or who has been, recruited or used by an armed force or armed group in any capacity…” Child soldiers do not only include the combatants. There are also child soldiers in noncombatant positions. The most dreadful injustice is having child soldiers, because of the amount of children involved, the recruitment they face, their war experiences, and post battle feelings or events.

It is common for child soldiers had no choice in joining war efforts. Often child are kidnapped and forced into the war: “It is estimated that over the last 15 years 10,000 children have been abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) around Gula in northern Uganda, alone” (Children in Conflict). In places where poverty is high parents may send their children into the war in exchange for food or monetary value (Children as Soldiers). During Hitler’s reign, young boys were forced to attend Hitler Youth: “Membership in the State Youth becomes mandatory. The boys in Werner’s kameradschaften are taught parade maneuvers and quizzed on fitness standards and required to run sixty meters in twelve seconds. Everything is glory and country and competition and sacrifice” (Doerr 62). Children in wars are also subjected to sexual abuse from adult soldiers around them. The emotional impact from the sexual abuse and the highly dangerous situations they are placed in may last for the rest of their lives (Child Soldier 46). The use of child soldiers has been banned since 2000 when the United Nations adopted a protocol stating that the forced recruitment of children under 18 for armed conflict is illegal. More than 110 countries have ratified this protocol, but it continues to be an issue around the world (Facts About Child

All around the world people are looking for soldiers, either big or small, to help fight for either their country, freedom, or religion. The abundance of children on earth has lead to one idea that would change the world forever. The idea that a child, who ranges from the age of 3-18, should fight in a war with a fully operated gun, grenades, and little hope of surviving. Countries in Iraq, Sira, Africa, and Asia, pluck children off the streets, drug them, and force them to go into battle. You have to kill or be killed. Generals are usually disrespectful and a life as a soldier is very difficult. As the thought of child soldiers lead to controversy. Many people are questioning if this act of violence, war, and the fearful pledge to kill is

Today, Human right groups estimate that there are at least if not more than 300,000 child soldiers worldwide. In poorer countries, there are more child soldiers because they fight of land, minerals and drugs. Even though the kids are the perfect weapons for these civil wars in poorer countries, because they are easily manipulated, extremely loyal, fearless and most importantly endless supply; there should not be kids fighting for their country unless they are 18 because of the physical and psychological problems.

Children are one of the many victims of conflicts especially in places like Syria and Sudan where there is a constant exchange of combat. Many children lose their families or are abducted by one side and are left with nothing. These children have no choice but to join with which ever side will accept them, “Bosco was six years old when he was handed a machete by Ugandan rebels led by Joseph Kony. They demanded he kill his little sister (Juli)... Juli was five. She had to die because she couldn 't keep up with the rebels ' pace as they moved to the next location.” (Christina Ruta, 2013). The children that are pushed into military forces often are intimidated into following orders through means like

It has been observed that when interviewed, almost all the children living in war zones or near war zones are constantly in fear of becoming a child soldier. This is no way to live, life should be about pursuing happiness, not constantly watching for men coming to take a child away. There have been many different proposals to try and stop the use of child soldiers, but this is such a widespread problem that it is difficult to fix. New ideas are presented every day that may have the potential to stop the war crime that is using child soldiers. Cultures of Resistance Network have been endlessly fighting to stop the use of child soldiers. They have been working alongside the UN to create a law making it a crime to have children fight in wars. The website explained how they are working towards this goal, “One of Child Soldiers International's major goals is to promote the widespread adoption of international legal standards—including those enshrined in relevant sections of the UN Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child—prohibiting the military recruitment and use in hostilities of any person younger than eighteen years of age. The organization further works to promote the recognition and enforcement of these standards by all armed groups, both governmental and non-governmental” (End the Use of Child Soldiers). This new idea of creating a law that applies to every country is very possible solution. This idea is still in the early stages, so it is unclear whether it will be passed, but this has the potential to make a great difference. Getting these children out of war and into a safe place will be better for the future of the world. Another, similar way that the UN is working

For example in the article Kurdish Forces Violating Child Soldier Band it states, “ Human Rights Watch documented cases over the past year of children under 18 joining and fighting…” This is showing that kids are joining these groups on their own. Another example from the article ,by Jo Becker, Advocacy Director, Children's Rights Division and Rachel Stohl, senior associate with the Stimson Center, “In South Sudan, child recruitment spiked sharply last year, with estimates that 12,000 children were fighting with both government and non-state armed groups.” This is showing that mass amounts of children are being recruited to fight in a war that they don’t have to be in. Finally in the article Scott Gates, Simon Reich it says, “Accounts from the field tell of soldiers who are near free to. 5/5 While some might argue that child soldiers should be granted amnesty and say that their commanders made them do this. But they forget that in the text it says they willingly came to the army camps. No one made them go there, they did. They chose to listen to their commanders and let them rule their

Child soldiers should also be prosecuted because they need to learn their lesson. Vesselin Popovski also said, “Victims and their families want justice to be done even if the crimes were committed by child soldiers” (8) Popovski is basically saying that families want closure and that they want something done about this or they are going to continue to do this to other families. Along with this, Popovski believes, “Domestic courts are better suited to holding children accountable in ways that serve justice and the child’s interest in the short and long terms.” (8) This shows that even with being prosecuted, they’re not going to get put somewhere that won’t help them, they're going to go somewhere safe and somewhere that will try and make the families feel better and help the kid. In addition, the article, “Prosecuting Child Soldiers For Their Own Safety,” author

Throughout the world children younger than 18 are being enlisted into the armed forces to fight while suffering through multiple abuses from their commanders. Children living in areas and countries that are at war are